Winter
by gthorndal
Summary: Sakura wrapped her red scarf around her neck snugly, praying she wouldn't freeze to death before she made it home, or more importantly, before she carried out her plan for revenge.


Winter in Konohagakure was, for lack of a better word, miserable.

Haruno Sakura was shivering far too much to think of a better adjective to describe the season which she loathed the most. Wrapped in as many layers as she could possibly force on to her small frame, the pink-haired medic grumbled under her breath as she made her way from her apartment to the hospital in which she worked.

As the familiar building came into view, Sakura's shoulders visibly sagged in relief. She wasn't exactly thrilled to be at work, but she was eager to get out of at least a couple layers of her clothing and into a heated building again. Sakura instantly quickened her pace at the simple thought of heat. Even through her three coats, two sweaters, and a short and long-sleeved t-shirt, the cold still seemed to penetrate her cleverly built cloth defenses and sink directly into her bones.

From absolutely nowhere, frigid slush flew through the air with deadly precision, unbeknownst to the crimson-cheeked medic. That was, until the aforementioned slush hit her directly in the side of the face. It exploded in to snowy-white crystal chunks as soon as it made impact, the little heat Sakura had in her cheeks fading completely as it melted the object that was now clinging to bits of her hair. Water from the melted snowball ran down below her scarf and across her neck causing a violent shiver to shimmy its way up her spine.

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, a murderous look now taking the place of the hopeful grin that had plastered itself on her face while she thought of the heat that was only a few short steps away from her. The medic turned, scanning the snow-covered landscape for her mysterious attacker. It was a very good thing, she thought to herself, that they were this near to a hospital. Whoever had thrown that snowball was going to need serious medical attention when she was finished with them.

A small, gloved hand came up to wipe away the stray pieces of the snow that was still stuck in her cherry-blossom colored hair and to hopefully stop any more of the melting ball of slush from sliding across her neck again.

As she scrutinized the completely white lawn of the hospital, another snow-packed projectile was hurled at her. This time, though, Sakura was ready. As the snowball neared her face, she used her speed to move out of the line of fire. The snowball exploded, this time, against the brick of the building behind her. A very feminine and feline like growl escaped Sakura as she carefully scanned the battleground before her, still noticing no one.

Then, she saw it.

Right there, next to the ice-covered willow that was situated not 50 feet from where she was standing.

A flash of orange and yellow and whiskers.

Sakura was livid.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO, YOU GET OUT HERE THIS INSTANT," she screeched. The only thing interrupting the silence that followed her demand was her heavy breathing. He was _so_ going to get it.

Slowly, the man who currently had all of Haruno Sakura's extremely terrifying rage directed at him shuffled out from his hiding place, his head already bowed, a slight cringing expression on his face, bracing himself for the punch he knew was coming.

Sakura stomped over to him angrily, but instead of punching him, she reached down to the ground, gathered up a handful of snow and took great pleasure in pulling on the front of his jacket and stuffing the wet slush down it. Naruto yelped in surprise and quickly began jumping around, trying to shake the snow from his clothing.

A soft snort came from behind the tree Naruto had been hiding behind.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. She stepped forward and glanced behind the tree.

"Hmm.."

There was no one there.

Sakura's eyebrows came together in slight confusion. Did she imagine the sound?

Without warning, an armful worth of snow was dumped directly on her head.

Sakura stilled. She slowed her breathing. The only sounds she could hear were the irritatingly loud shrieks from Naruto, who was still dancing around the hospital grounds like an idiot.

And then, a rustle from above her.

Her gaze shot skyward immediately and her eyes were quick enough to catch the dark-haired smirking form of her other teammate before he disappeared from her vision completely. Cheeks red from the cold and her extreme anger, Sakura made her way to Naruto's flailing form. She grabbed him by the collar and hauled him inches from her face.

Naruto's screaming quieted suddenly and his eyes became roughly the size of bowls of ramen. The man in her grasp visibly gulped.

"Sakura-ch-," he started, but she growled, interrupting him. "Why?" She asked him through gritted teeth.

Naruto started babbling, "It was teme's idea, Sakura-chan. Honest." Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You didn't help him come up with this plan at all?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper. "Sasuke decided all by himself that you and he were going to follow me to the hospital and completely ruin my day by dousing me with snow?"

Naruto gulped again, "Well.."

Sakura released her hold on the man and stepped back from him. She took a deep breath and then turned her face toward her friend, her clever mind quickly forming a plan. "Ichiraku after I get off work tonight, Naruto-kun?"

It was Naruto's turn to narrow his eyes, "B-but aren't you going to kill me?" Sakura laughed lightly, "Of course not! Just make sure you drag Sasuke's ass with you." Sakura's smile turned faintly mischievous, the wheels in her head kicking into overdrive.

"H-hai, Sakura-chan." Naruto didn't like the gleam that was in his female best friend's eye, but he couldn't turn down ramen. His stomach just wouldn't allow it.

Sakura gave Naruto a little wave, that evil glint still in her eye, as she turned toward the hospital. Naruto watched her retreating form, feeling a strange mixture of discomfort and hunger.

"8:00, Naruto!" Sakura called back happily as she made her way into the building.

The rest of Sakura's day passed pretty uneventfully. She had admitted and began treatment on six new patients, all suffering from cases of frostbite of varying severity. She hated winter. Had she mentioned that before? Probably, but it was still true. It was almost if a drop of intelligence came with the drop in temperature. Honestly, what kind of person goes out in negative ten degree weather and doesn't wear socks? The medic sighed as she walked into her office to gather her stuff.

Sakura glanced at her watch. 8:12.

Perfect. Regardless of Naruto's usual lateness when a mission or meeting was involved, she knew for a fact that he would be on time to Ichiraku. She just hoped he was able to talk (or drag, she didn't care which) Sasuke into coming with him. If they knew what was good for them, neither would show up. Her face broke into a toothy grin as she wrapped herself back up in her armor against the elements. She was going to get those boys back.

The excitement flowing through Sakura's veins carried her to Naruto's favorite eating establishment faster than normal. As she entered the building and wound her scarf from around her neck, she saw her two teammates seated at their regular seats at the counter. The seat next to Naruto was waiting for her.

"Hi boys," she cooed, walking up slowly. Naruto nearly fell off his stool at Sakura's voice. Sasuke merely turned toward Sakura, that same damned smirk on his face from this morning. Sakura merely smiled back at him. "H-hey, Sakura-chan." Naruto eyed the pinkette nervously, glancing quickly at her hands to see if she'd brought retaliation with her. When he was satisfied she was unarmed, a smile was directed her way and then, the whiskered boy turned back to his waiting bowl of ramen.

Sakura took her seat beside Naruto, giving her order to the shop owner as he came up to her.

"'ow were rounds t'day, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked through a mouthful of noodles.

"They were okay; I admitted six new patients with frostbite." Sakura told him. Naruto turned toward Sakura slightly, noodles hanging from his mouth still. "Did you cut any toes off?" He asked, his eyes widening slightly. Sakura giggled, "No, Naruto. No toes were harmed today."

"How did you boys spend your day?" Sakura asked conversationally as her bowl of Miso ramen was placed in front of her. "Training, of course." Sasuke finally broke his silence. Naruto nodded enthusiastically, "I beat teme's ass."

Sasuke turned toward Naruto now, "I beg to differ." Naruto shot a very familiar and very un-Naruto like grin towards his best friend, "Don't beg, teme. I'll let you win next time." Sakura snorted, ramen uncomfortably and unceremoniously making its way into her airway. Sasuke sent a glare her way while she tried to catch her breath, cough, and laugh all at the same time before he turned back to Naruto, "You begged me to stop hitting you." Sasuke's onyx eyes narrowed.

"It was a-.." _Slurp. _"..ploy, teme. You called the fight," _Slurp._ ".. so, I won!"

Sasuke stared at Naruto incredulously for a moment before slipping back into his seemingly uninterested and emotionless mask. "Hn."

Sakura shot a glance toward Sasuke. He closed his eyes momentarily and Sakura watched him mouth something that looked like… numbers? He was counting under his breath, willing himself to calm down and not viciously force Naruto's face into his fourth bowl of ramen. His hands gripped the counter, knuckles turning white. Sakura snickered quietly but inside, her heart swelled a little. Sasuke had changed since he'd come back to the village almost two years ago now. She never mentioned it to him directly, but she saw subtle changes in him. Patience with Naruto was one of them. Before, Sasuke wouldn't have hesitated before starting an argument, but now…

Seven bowls of Naruto's favorite ramen later, the group was finally paying for their meal and getting ready to leave. They bid farewell to the owner of the establishment and made their way out the front door. Sakura wrapped her red scarf around her neck snugly, praying she wouldn't freeze to death before she made it home, or more importantly, before she carried out her plan for revenge.

As soon as they'd stepped out of the warm ramen shop and on to the snowy street, Sakura and Naruto turned left toward their apartments and Sasuke turned right, heading toward the Uchiha compound. Noticing he wasn't walking with them, Sakura quickly turned to Sasuke's retreating figure, the first thing she could think of coming out of her mouth.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun… walk with us?"

He turned toward Sakura, hesitating for a moment before he gave a nod and began walking back toward his two friends. The crimson-cheeked medic beamed at him radiantly as he saddled up next to her and the group continued on their way.

As they walked, Sakura looked up into the inky grey sky. Snow started lightly falling, adding to the inches that already covered the road and adorned the houses that surrounded them. Despite the freezing temperatures, Sakura supposed that the stark contrast between the white of the snow and the dark grey of the sky was kind of beautiful. As she kept her face turned toward the heavens, a snowflake knocked off course by a breeze landed squarely on Sakura's nose. The girl heard a small chuckle from her right. Shifting her eyes, she saw Sasuke looking at her, his onyx orbs uncharacteristically soft as they watched her stick her tongue out and catch another snowflake. Sakura let out a giggle.

Finally, the trio neared Sakura's apartment complex. They all said their goodbyes and the boys turned to leave. Unknown to the two males slowly retreating from their pink-haired teammate, said female's revenge plan was suddenly put into immediate action.

Red alert.

Def con 1.

Ready, set, launch.

It was on.

Sakura quietly and quickly gathered a fair amount of the slushy, wet snow in her gloved hand, packed it tightly and threw it as hard as she possibly could at the back of the retreating boys who had wronged her this morning on her way to work. No sooner than she had thrown the snowball, she ducked quickly into the alcove where the door leading up to her apartment was hidden. The next thing that reached the medic-nin's ears was the satisfying _thwack!_ of her projectile hitting its intended target: the back of Uchiha Sasuke's head.

All was silent for a split second before Sakura heard a quiet growl from a few feet away. Deciding that the urge to look overcame her fear of a snowball in the face, Sakura risked peeking one eye around the corner of the bricks she was safely hidden behind. The sight that greeted her had her stuffing her hand in her mouth, trying to stifle any giggles that threatened to escape.

Sasuke stood with his back still toward her, large chunks of snow clinging for dear life to his midnight spikes. Naruto stood close next to him, looking over at his friend with wide eyes. Sakura chanced getting hit again by stepping from her hiding place, gathering another handful of snow and chucking at the side of Naruto's face.

_Splat!_

Curling back into her hiding place, Sakura pumped her fist in the air. Direct hit!

She stood quietly for a second after skillfully hitting both of her teammates on the first try, listening for signs of their inevitable retaliation.

All was quiet.

Sakura frowned. What the hell were those two doing and why weren't they coming after her? Sakura peeked from her hiding place once more only to be greeted with a completely empty street. She stepped fully out from behind the wall, looking around. Wha-

Sakura realized her mistake as soon as she heard a menacing chuckle from directly behind her. Slowly, she turned on her heal to come face to face with a very moist and grinning Uchiha.

"Payback time," He growled. Sakura's eyes widened as he took a step closer to her.

"Uh-uh, Sasuke-kun. That snowball to the back of your head was _my_ payback for this morning." Sakura stepped back, her back finding the cold brick of her apartment building behind her. Sasuke kept coming closer, his midnight eyes sparkling with mischievousness.

"W-where's Na-Naruto?" Sakura stuttered. She didn't know if it was from the cold or the intense look in Sasuke's eyes. The man bearing down on her grinned wider. "Gone," he said, simply, his voice a little deeper than Sakura remembered.

Sasuke was now inches from the wide-eyed pinkette, that cocky grin still plastered on his face. A droplet of water from her earlier and now melted projectile ran from his hairline down and across his forehead. Sakura watched his eyes flick to her lips and another shiver ran through her, but she was positive, this time, that it had absolutely nothing to do with the temperature.

Sakura's eyes slid closed. He was so close; she could feel his warm breath fanning across her lips. But instead of Sasuke's lips meeting hers, something very cold and very wet was thrust into her face. Sakura spluttered, wiping the snow from her face. What the _hell_? Once her they were clear of snow, Sakura's eyes flew open. Sasuke was retreating down the street at a normal pace, heading home. For the second time that day, a very feline growl erupted from Sakura. She pushed herself off from the brick wall she'd been backed up against and ran as fast as she could toward the withdrawing Uchiha.

Sasuke turned around in time to see a pink blur speeding toward him and suddenly, he found his ass planted into a very cold snow drift. And settled on top of him was a very damp and very angry Sakura. The girl above him was silent, her cheeks and nose tinged red from the cold they'd been exposed to, her breath coming in pants. Her eyes were wide and almost seemed to sparkle from the reflections of the snow and the street light they were under. Sasuke couldn't stop the actual, genuine laugh that bubbled from him at the sight before him.

Sakura's anger faded almost instantly as she watched the man she'd tackled to the ground start to laugh. Now, this was a rare sight. Sakura couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Sasuke laugh like this. His eyes closed and he threw his head back, another peal of laughter erupting from him. Sakura began to laugh too, her eyes softening affectionately. She leaned her body forward, grabbing a handful of snow beside Sasuke's face and smeared the whole handful onto his face.

Sasuke shook his head, snow flying off in all directions. Sakura placed her hands on either side of his head, leaning close. He could feel her breath fanning across his face. He looked up at her, eyes ever stoic. Inside, though, Sasuke was anything but calm. Sakura's position atop him allowed him to feel curves of the kunoichi that he'd only ever dreamed about. His heartbeat was faster, his breathing a bit labored. Said female brought her face as close as she dared to the Uchiha's. "Guess we're even," she whispered, smiling triumphantly.

Before she knew what was happening, Sasuke had thrust his fingers into her cherry blossom locks. His deft fingers found the nape of her neck quickly and he hauled her lips to his. Sakura's eyes widened momentarily before slowly sliding closed. The kiss was chaste, but Sakura was emboldened by Sasuke's actions. As soon as he pulled away from her, Sakura leaned back in. Her lips moved over his very slightly, her tongue coming out to trace his bottom lip gently.

Sasuke never would have pegged Sakura to be this… forward. But he wasn't going to complain. And for Kami's sake, if he were to _ever_ complain, he hoped someone would punch him right in his face. But Sasuke wouldn't complain, couldn't currently complain because Sakura's lips were fixed to his and all coherent thought was quickly slipping away from him. Tilting his head and opening his mouth to her, their tongues came together. Sakura made a needy sound in the back of her throat at the feeling.

A frigid breeze blew past the couple as they continued to kiss, causing Sakura to shiver violently. To be honest, she wasn't sure it was _entirely_ from the cold. Really, some of it could have been because Sasuke was nipping at her bottom lip with his teeth. The shiver that ran through her body suddenly made the couple extremely aware of their surroundings as Sakura shifted on Sasuke's lap. The strangled groan that escaped his mouth as she moved over him was literally the sexiest thing Sakura had ever heard in her entire life.

She was dizzy with want.

Her mind was hazy with desire.

Where were they again?

Was that snow?

And… ice?

And why's it so damn _hot_ out here?

Quickly, Sakura realized where they were. Sasuke was still planted ass-first into a snow pile while she straddled his waist and they were kissing each other senseless. She stood then, the loss of warmth and her contact causing Sasuke to growl quietly. She offered him her hand and he quickly took it, rising up in front of her. After he stood, Sasuke didn't release her hand. In his eyes, silent questions and flitting emotions presented themselves to the pink-haired woman gazing up at him.

_What just happened?_

_Where does this leave us?_

_Can we pick up where we left off?_

Sakura began walking toward her apartment complex, still clutching his hand, dragging him along with her. The couple made it as far as the second floor stairwell before Sasuke pulled on Sakura's wrist, dragging her back against him. He gently guided her back against the wall before he none-to-gently pressed his very cold lips back against hers. Sakura moaned into his kiss as his hand came up to cup her cheek. Their tongues met in another passionate duel, both fighting for the upper hand. Sasuke lifted Sakura's right leg up to his hip, pressing himself against her and it became very clear to her that the upper hand was his.

There were literally zero coherent thoughts left in her head. Whose brain could form complete sentences when he was nibbling just there or running his tongue along hers like that?

Sasuke.

Apartment.

Sasuke.

Oh_ God_.

His hand came to her thigh, and he gently began tracing lazy circles over it through the thin material of her leggings. Sakura pulled her lips away from him hastily, throwing her head back and letting out a low moan when Sasuke ground his hips against hers. If she'd been in her right mind, she might have thought something along the lines of: _What delicious friction! Oh, how I do wish he would drag me to my apartment and we could continue this in a warmer environment_. But because she wasn't, indeed, in her right mind because Sasuke had just found a particularly sensitive spot on her left collarbone, what she was really thinking went more along the lines of: _Ohgodyesdothatagaindon'tstopplease._

Finally, Sasuke pulled away from her neck. Sakura almost groaned from the loss of his warm, wonderful mouth against her. He gazed down at her intensely for a moment before sighing. Their breathing was labored and it echoed loudly in the stairwell. A pleasant flush colored Sakura's pale skin. As much as he wanted to keep kissing her, he had to stop. An alarming realization dawned over the midnight-locked ninja.

"Sakura."

"Sasuke?"

"I can't feel the tips of my fingers."

Sakura's eyes went impossibly wide.

"Wh-what?"

"I can't feel the tips of my fingers," he repeated. Sakura grabbed his hand immediately, her careful eyes giving it a once over. The tips of his fingers were pale; restricted blood flow. Sakura cursed quietly, quickly running up the rest of the stairs toward her apartment and dragging Sasuke with her.

Her normally nimble fingers shook as she fought to push her key into the lock and let them into her apartment. Sakura pulled her hand away from the key to look at it. Her fingers were white also. Suddenly, the medic noticed that she had no feeling in her toes. Oh, they were in trouble. With renewed vigor, Sakura began to frantically twist her key in the lock, the tumblers finally turning. She flung the door open, pushing Sasuke into her apartment as she closed the door behind her.

Thankfully, the heater in her apartment had been turned up nearly to full blast before she left this morning. She had awoken at her normal time to get ready for rounds, but when she through the blanket off of herself and sat her bare feet on the hardwood floor, she quickly yelped. It was absolutely freezing in her home. Sakura had tip-toe ran to her dresser, quickly grabbed the nearest pair of socks, and ran back to the warmth of her bed. After she had pulled her socks on, she'd trekked into the kitchen to find the temperature at a frigid 65 degrees. Grumbling, Sakura pushed the thermostat to 90 before she made her way back to her bathroom to start getting ready for work.

Now, it was hot in her apartment; exactly what they needed. She ran to the nearest closet and grabbed all the blankets she could in one armful, pushed Sasuke down onto her couch and wrapped them both in the heavy covers.

"W-what are y-you d-doing?" He asked, shivering violently. Sakura snuggled close to him, hoping the warmth of the apartment, their blankets, and body heat would be enough to save them a trip to the hospital. She knew their symptoms all too well from her rounds at work today. As she looked up at Sasuke, she noticed his lips were paler than normal.

"We've g-got to warm up," she told him. Sakura moved her right leg, settling it more comfortably underneath her and noticed that she still wasn't able to feel her toes. A bad sign. Sasuke shot her a quizzical look. "F-frostbite and hypo…t-thermia. We were o-outside in the s-snow t-too long. We've g-got to get o-our body temperatures b-back up."

Twenty shivering minutes later, Sakura held her hand up, flexing her fingers. She was starting to notice that pins-and-needles feeling in her fingertips and a ghost of pain. She turned her gaze to Sasuke. His lips looked a little pinker.

"Any feeling coming back, Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura noticed then that his eyes were closed and his breathing was slow. She elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "No sleeping! Take deep breaths, think warm thoughts, and keep those eyes open, mister." Sasuke turned to look at her, his eyelids drooping lazily.

"Hn."

"I'm serious, Sasuke. Stay awake." Her tone became vaguely reminiscent of the one she used with problem patients in the hospital.

"Can you feel your fingers?"

Sasuke grunted. "They kind of… hurt."

Sakura smiled. "Good!"

"Good that I'm in pain?" He asked, feigning hurt. Sakura smacked him on the shoulder and then winced. Yep, the feeling in her fingers was definitely coming back.

After another twenty minutes, Sakura could feel her toes, the warmth from their cocoon finally taking effect. She took this opportunity to unwrap herself from their blanket fort and head toward the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke's voice drifted after her.

"Stay bundled up," she told him sternly, "I'll make us a warm drink."

Knowing Sasuke and his distaste for sweets, Sakura put on the kettle to make tea. For herself, she made a cup of hot chocolate. Minutes later, Sakura was back at his side, sliding a steaming cup of tea into his hands. He took a sip and closed his eyes at the feel of the warmth spreading through his entire body.

Sakura sat back beside him and sipped her hot chocolate, humming contentedly. Sasuke glanced over at the woman who had just saved him an uncomfortable and potentially embarrassing trip to the hospital. All of the color had made its way back to her face. He shifted slightly in the blankets, moving closer to her. Casually, he placed an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his side, deciding on his own that body heat could only help them at this point as their core temperatures regulated themselves.

Sakura didn't protest at the contact, but smiled into her cup of hot chocolate. Suddenly, Sasuke set his cup of tea down on the coffee table. He turned toward Sakura, took her cup and placed it next to his.

Before she could open her mouth to ask him what he was doing, his lips were on hers again for the… oh, she'd stopped counting a while back. Without hesitation, his tongue was at her lips, begging for entrance. She willingly allowed him in and he groaned at the feeling of her tongue against his again. She tasted like chocolate. He didn't like chocolate normally, but mixed with the feeling of her mouth on his and a taste that was so… Sakura, he found he didn't mind the sweet so much.

Sasuke found small hands on his shoulders soon, pushing him roughly against the couch. Sakura put her knees on either side of his hips once she got him situated the way she wanted him, a position vaguely reminiscent of when they were outside in the snow. She pulled her mouth away from his to trail open-mouthed kisses down his jaw and across his neck. Her teeth scraped a tender spot near his pulse point and Sakura took notice when his breath hitched slightly. She found her way back to the spot, her tongue languidly coming out to lave at it. When her teeth scraped the spot again, this time with enthusiasm, Sasuke found he couldn't hold back the whimper that escaped his throat.

Sakura pulled her lips away from his neck and looked down at him, her jade eyes brimming with desire. She found herself wanting to find every spot on his body that made him make sounds like that. She wanted to hear nothing but those sounds for the rest of her life. She ground her hips against his, her mouth finding his once again, as their tongues battled for dominance. He brought his hips up to meet hers roughly and Sakura tore her mouth away from his to moan loudly.

They were wearing entirely too many clothes for Sakura's taste. Her nimble fingers made their way to his thin jacket, pulling the zipper down quickly. She pushed the fabric from his shoulders and made her way to the hem of his t-shirt.

After she had divested his entire upper body of clothing, Sasuke decided that it was time for him to return the favor. He pulled the zipper of her jacket down only to be greeted with… another jacket. That zipper was too pulled down hastily and he was face to face with a pull-over sweater.

"Jesus, woman. How many layers are you wearing?" he asked her, his voice husky. Frenzied fingers, both large and small pulled and yanked at her clothing until finally she was as topless as he was. Sasuke looked at the sight above him, wondering what he'd ever done to deserve to be in the position he was in right now. Whatever it was, he needed to know so he could do it a couple thousand more times.

His fingers almost shyly fluttered up her sides before coming across to feel her breasts. Sakura arched her back instinctively, pushing more of her chest into his hands. His rough thumbs came up to brush over her nipples lightly. The pink peaks pebbled under his touch and Sakura groaned loudly. Sasuke wanted to commit this night to memory. He wanted to see her head thrown back in wanton abandon every time he closed his eyes.

Gentle, shy touches quickly turned to heated caresses. Hitched breaths gave way to moans and whimpers. And suddenly, before their eyes, they were completely bared to one another. They had both longed for this day. They'd both dreamed about it, imagined what it would be like, but nothing could do justice to what they were seeing, hearing, feeling now. This was happening. This was real and they were both past the point of no return.

Sakura had just enough coherency left, however, to pull away from his touches momentarily to look into his eyes and ask him a question that she's been longing to since the first time their lips touched.

"Is this just a one-time thing?"

Sasuke drew his eyebrows together, looking thoroughly confused for a moment. His eyes softened soon after and he brought a hand up to cup her face.

"Do you want it to be?"

Sakura dropped her forehead against his, "Of course I don't."

And then, she saw something she'd seen before, maybe one or two times in her whole entire existence; a genuine smile on Sasuke's face.

As Sakura leaned down to place another kiss against his lips, the two moved together to become one.

Sakura decided that maybe in that moment that maybe, just maybe, winter in Konohagakure wasn't so bad after all.


End file.
